Bernie Nicholls

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Lore & Background

Nicholls played junior hockey with the Kingston Canadians of the OMJHL, where he set franchise records with 63 goals, 89 assists, and 152 points in the 1980–81 season. He was drafted in the fourth round (73rd overall) of the 1980 NHL entry draft by the Los Angeles Kings. After being assigned to the AHL's New Haven Nighthawks to start the 1981–82 season, he led the league in scoring with 41 goals through 55 games before being called up to the NHL on February 18, 1982. He scored his first two career NHL goals on March 9 against the Colorado Rockies, and recorded three hat-tricks in three consecutive home games later that month. In the 1984–85 season, Nicholls scored a goal in all four periods of a game (including overtime) on November 13, 1984. He also had a 25-game scoring streak. After the Kings acquired Wayne Gretzky in 1988, Nicholls moved to second-line centre and had his most productive season in 1988–89, scoring 70 goals and 150 points. He was traded to the New York Rangers in the middle of the 1989–90 season. Later in his career, he reached the Conference Finals with the Oilers, Devils, and Blackhawks but lost each time. He became the 39th player to reach 1,000 career points in 1994 with the Devils. He closed his career with the San Jose Sharks as a checking center before being cut in November of the 1998–99 season. In 1,127 games, he recorded 475 goals and 734 assists for 1,209 points, which at the time was 27th most in league history. He currently has the most points of all eligible players not in the Hockey Hall of Fame. In 2011, Nicholls joined the Los Angeles Kings as a coaching consultant and was on the staff when the team won the 2012 Stanley Cup Final, earning him a Stanley Cup ring.

In Their Own Story

On November 13, 1984, Bernie Nicholls made NHL history. Playing for the Los Angeles Kings, he scored a goal in every regulation period and then added another in overtime, becoming the first player ever to score in all four periods of a game. The feat came during a season where he would go on to record his first 100-point season, fueled by a 25-game scoring streak that set a franchise record. Years later, after the Kings acquired Wayne Gretzky in the summer of 1988, Nicholls was moved to the second line. He took full advantage, saying, "It was the opportunity of a lifetime. I got to play with arguably the greatest player in the world for one year, and I took full advantage." He scored a team-record 70 goals and added 80 assists for 150 points, with his 70th goal coming on an empty net during a hat trick in the penultimate game of the season. That made him only the ninth player in NHL history to score 70 goals in a season.

Reader's Guide

Nicholls' peak offensive season came in 1988–89 with the Los Angeles Kings, when he scored 70 goals and 150 points. This made him the eighth (and currently last) player in NHL history to record 70 goals and 150 points in one season. He recorded five straight 75-point seasons before that. In the 1984–85 season, he had a 25-game scoring streak, the fourth-longest in NHL history at the time. He also became the first player to score a goal in every regulation period and overtime in a single game on November 13, 1984. After being traded to the New York Rangers in the middle of the 1989–90 season, he recorded 37 points in 32 games for his final 100-point season. Later in his career, he honed his skills to become more of a defensive forward, reaching the Conference Finals with the Oilers, Devils, and Blackhawks but losing each time. He became the 39th player to reach 1,000 career points in 1994 with the Devils. He finished his career with 475 goals and 734 assists for 1,209 points in 1,127 games.

Did You Know?

• Nicholls was born pigeon toed and wore corrective braces as a toddler.
• He scored a goal in all four periods of a game (including overtime) on November 13, 1984.
• He scored three hat-tricks in three consecutive home games during his rookie season in March 1982.
• Nicholls played with a fractured jaw for the entire month of February 1984, with his jaw wired shut, before cutting the wires himself in an airport.
• He is the eligible player with the most career points (1,209) who is not in the Hockey Hall of Fame.